A new agent will be representing Jameis Winston when the backup quarterback talks shop with the New Orleans Saints next offseason. Rick Stroud reported for The Tampa Bay Times on Monday that Winston parted ways with agent Joel Segal of Lagardere Sports, months after Winston inked a one-year, $1.1 million contract with the Saints earlier this summer. It’s far beneath what Winston could have earned as a starter, which drew a firestorm of reactions from NFL fans across social media.
Segal has represented Winston since 2018, having been hired just before Winston returned from a three-game suspension to start the season. He helped hammer out this heavily-discounted Saints deal but won’t be around when Winston returns to the negotiating table.
Notably, Winston’s decision to change agents comes just days after Patrick Mahomes signed a historic contract extension with the Kansas City Chiefs to the tune of half a billion dollars. Winston shouldn’t arrive anywhere close to that yearly salary, even if he ends up in a best-case scenario in 2020, but Mahomes’ record-setting deal is the kind of rising tide that lifts all ships. It’s a safe bet that Winston will be expecting something closer to the $60 million his predecessor, Teddy Bridgewater, earned in free agency. But even that may be too low. We’ll be sure to keep an eye out when Winston hires his new agent.
